More than 60 French actors and other prominent figures have denounced the lynching of disgraced film legend Gérard Depardieu, who is charged with rape and faces other sexual assault claims. Charlotte Rampling, former French first lady and singer, and Depardieu's former partner, actor Carole Bouquet, signed an open letter saying the star is the victim of a torrent of hatred. The letter was published in French newspaper Le Figaro on Christmas Day. Many have distanced themselves from the actor after he was accused of rape and sexual harassment. His supporters wrote in the letter that they couldn't remain silent in the face of the lynching.
The letter said Depardieu was being attacked in defiance of a presumption of innocence from which he would have benefited, like everyone else.
Depardieu praised the letter and said it was beautiful. A number of figures refused to sign the letter, but Depardieu insisted he had not asked for it. The actor made sexually explicit comments about a young girl riding a horse during a trip to North Korea that was broadcast for the first time in a documentary on national television. The celebrities said that France owes Gérard Depardieu a lot. His work can never be erased from our times.
The president of France said that Depardieu had become the target of a hunting expedition. A new wave of indignation was generated by the letter titled "Don't erase Gérard Depardieu". The founder of Les Papillons, an organization that fights violence against children, said the letter was "insulting" and that one of the signers, actor Pierre Richard, would no longer be their ambassador. Boyet said that they were always on the side of the victims. Anne-Cecile Mailfert, head of the Women's Foundation, told the news agency that "no one is above the law" She said that she understood how Depardieu's friends felt they had to defend him. Rima Abdul Malak said that the actor might be stripped of the Legion of Honour.